Operations 



Those involved in the Smithsonian's research activities on the 

 National Mall and around the world depend on the 

 centralized services provided by Washington-based finance, 

 administration, facilities, and information technology staff. 

 This year was no exception, as offices in the administrative 

 area continued to provide a reliable, effecrive support system 

 fot theii colleagues throughout the Institution. 



A number of activities recognized the Smithsonian's 

 dedicated staff. The annual Unsung Heroes awards, 

 coordinated by the Ombudsman, honored employees 

 nominared by their colleagues fot their exemplary service. 

 The Office of Equal Employment and Minoriry Affairs 

 presented rhe fourth annual Excellence in Equal Opportunity 

 awards to four employees for rheir accomplishments in 

 making equal opportunity a reality. The Office of Human 

 Resources introduced open houses for Smithsonian employees 

 who work outside Washington, beginning with an event in 

 New Yotk Ciry at the National Museum of the American 

 Indian. 



Two major construction projects were completed this year: 

 the National Museum of the American Indian's (NMAI's) new 

 Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland, and the 

 renovarion and expansion of the Cooper-Hewitt, National 

 Design Museum. The 145,000-square-fbot NMAI faciliry is a 

 support center for the museum and its collection. It fearutes a 

 resource center, conservarion laboratones, repatriation offices, 

 indoor and ourdoor ceremonial areas, and collection storage. 

 Objects now stored in the museum's Research Branch in the 

 Bronx, New York, will be moved to the center over the next 

 five years. At the Cooper-Hewitt, a multiphase project to 

 transform the museum's landmark structures into an 

 accessible museum facility involved renovating three historic 

 buildings, installing an upgraded climate control system, and 

 creating the new Design Resource Center linked to the 



museum's historic Andrew Carnegie Mansion by the new 

 Agnes Bourne Bridge Gallery. 



Othet tenovation and expansion projects moved ahead this 

 year throughout the Instirution, coordinated by the Facilities 

 division. They included the East and West Court projects at the 

 National Museum of Narural Hisrory; plans for renovarion of the 

 historic U.S. Patent Office Building, home of the National 

 Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery; the 

 renovation of the National Ait and Space Museum and planning 

 for rhe museum's Dulles Center, and the design of the National 

 Museum of the American Indian's Mall museum. Ground was 

 broken for a major research laboratory for the Smithsonian 

 Marine Station in Fort Pierce, Florida. 



Several offices analyzed and improved the efficiency of 

 systems that serve the entire Smithsonian. The Finance 

 division, for example, led an Insritution-wide team to study 

 indirect cost issues, resulting in a 50 percent reduction in the 

 indirect cost rate used in financial planning and management. 

 The division also initiated several projects to improve 

 financial sysrems, including a new time-and-attendance data 

 entry system and more flexible software for developing and 

 issuing financial reports. The Office of Planning, 

 Management, and Budget continues to develop and refine its 

 automated system for improving resource planning and 

 management. The office has also developed an integrated 

 electronic budget management database. 



Technical assistance from the Office of Information 

 Technology (OIT) helps the Smithsonian keep pace with 

 rapid developments in information and communication 

 technology. This year, for example, OIT advised Smithsonian 

 an museums in the selection and installation of a new 

 collections infotmation system known as The Museum System 

 (TMS). With the Office of the Provost, OIT is designing a 

 system to provide searchable public access to collections 

 information from the museums, the Smithsonian Institution 

 Libraries, and the Smithsonian Institution Archives. 



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